


Rewrite the Stars

by gothic_burrito



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, finally writing some long overdue angst, its gonna be fluffy in the end tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25363009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothic_burrito/pseuds/gothic_burrito
Summary: “You know as well as I do, that I will never let this go.” He whispered hoarsely. The weight of emotion in his voice making it difficult to push the words past the lump in his throat.“I know.” Came the barely-there response.
Relationships: Calanthe Fiona Riannon & Eist Tuirsach, Calanthe Fiona Riannon/Eist Tuirseach
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	Rewrite the Stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheMarvelousMadMadamMim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMarvelousMadMadamMim/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, TheMarvelousMadMadamMim 😊  
> I initially wanted this to be a three-chapter situation but I ran out of time so I'm splitting it a little more.  
> Now you know what I wanted you to pick a song for...😉  
> As you can see, your choice actually worked out great because I already had a concept for the song. The only issue being time because ... I started writing this waaay too late. (my time management skills are literally level 1)  
> No worries tho, I will try to finish this up as quickly as possible!

_You know I want you_

_It's not a secret I try to hide_

_You know you want me_

_So don't keep saying our hands are tied_

The few candles which were sporadically distributed throughout Calanthe’s private chambers provided only a limited amount of light. But it was enough for the moment. He did not have to see her face clearly to know what she was thinking. A part of him had already known what she would say beforehand. But Eist had pulled through regardless. He had wanted to make sure he tried everything in his might.

“I… you know I can’t accept.”

Her voice was neutral but he could still detect a hint of emotion. He had successfully cracked her façade. She was not able to hide from him anymore.

The Jarl should feel pride over this accomplishment. But that sentiment was overruled by the feeling of desperation and sadness. He wanted- no, he needed her to be his. He knew she reciprocated his feelings and the sheer irony of that not being enough chipped away at his heart each time he thought about it.

“You know as well as I do, that I will never let this go.” He whispered hoarsely. The weight of emotion in his voice making it difficult to push the words past the lump in his throat.

“I know.” Came the barely-there response.

Their eyes met in the dim light. Love, devotion, sadness. He could see his own feelings reflected in her brown eyes. It made him want to avert his gaze and run. How could she feel so deeply for him and still reject him?

A single tear formed in the corner of her right eye and slowly trickled down her soft cheek. Oh, how he wanted to rush over to her and wipe it away. Kiss the salty traces it had left and wrap her up in his arms. Sooth the dull ache pulsing through both of their bodies with the simple touch of skin on skin.

Instead, she cleared her throat and wiped the tear off herself. Eyes wandering to the other side of the room. Now purposefully avoiding him. The queen of Cintra seemed deep in thoughts all of a sudden and Eist felt more and more like an intruder.

He moved slightly in the direction of the window and the action startled Calanthe. She flinched and shifted her gaze back to Eist.

“I don’t know what to do Eist.”

She looked helpless and lost. Glorious and beautiful in her embroidered gown and with the golden crown atop her head. But still strangely out of place. The desperation radiating off of her in waves, turning more and more intense with each passing heartbeat.

“I don’t know either, my queen. If you are not willing to accept my proposal, then I have no choice but to sail back to Skellige and wait for the next opportunity to come to Cintra. Surely the next visit would also coincide with the next proposal. Which you would reject in turn. And so on. I don’t see us breaking out of this cycle. Unfortunately.”

He fought the urge to run his hands through his hair in frustration. This was absolute madness. They loved each other. However, she would not budge on her strict aversion for a second marriage. There were no winners in this game. Only losers.

Eist could not help but keep fighting though. His mother had not raised a quitter and he would be damned if he gave up fighting for her before he took his last breath. He would always be in her corner, always by her side. Even if he could not do it publicly.

“Damn it Tuirseach, why is it so hard for you to let this go? Why do we have to go through this every bloody time you visit my kingdom?”

Her sadness and frustration had bubbled over into anger. Hands balled into fists and eyes just as wild as they had previously been soft. She was truly mesmerizing.

Eist took a small step back and held up his hands in surrender. He did not want to provoke an actual fight at this late hour. The guards standing outside of her door did not know he was in her private quarters and word would certainly travel far and fast, if anyone found out.

“I am not going to fight you over this. We both know that it is pointless.” He could not keep the tiredness out of his voice. Royal or not, she should be able to make the right decisions for herself. He would not fight or judge her on her perception of duty towards her people. But he was sure that there was something else keeping her from accepting. Something that had nothing to do with Cintra and its idiotic laws of only men being fit to rule.

Calanthe gave no response. She just stared at him with eyes as large as saucers. No one would ever match her perfect balance between being absolutely feral and stunningly beautiful at the same time. She was her own contradiction.

The skelligan Jarl moved towards the small door in the corner of the room. It was the entrance for the tunnel he had used to get to Calanthe and he intended on using it again, to exit the room in the same manner.

“Good night your majesty.” These were his last words before he properly turned around to leave the room. Fully knowing neither of them would be having a peaceful night. But he was so used to being tired that he hardly cared about that anymore.

_You claim it's not in the cards_

_And fate is pulling you miles away_

_And out of reach from me_

_But you're here in my heart_

_So who can stop me if I decide that you're my destiny?_

A warm hand on his arm made him turn around.

“Don’t leave me standing like that.”

Her voice was soft again and her eyes were almost pleading. This woman could not make up her mind. One second, she was ready to fight him and the next she was on the verge of turning him into a puddle with her tenderness.

Eist reached out to cover her hand with his larger one and the feeling of her skin sent a shiver down his spine. He dared to take a step closer and now they were almost nose to nose.

“Do you truly not understand why I keep asking you for your hand in marriage? Do you think I’m doing this because I like torturing the both of us?”

His other hand came to finally lay against her cheek and Calanthe turned her head slightly to press further into him. A small noise of contentment leaving her lips as she did. The great lioness of Cintra momentarily turned into a purring kitten. This was all he needed to be happy. Just her, being soft and warm like only he knew she could be. His thumb came to lightly caress her cheek. Relishing the softness of her skin.

“You know I would never hold your own words against you. I would never try to overpower you or force you into a situation you do not want to be in. All I’m asking for is your love.”

He pulled her closer while speaking. Heart hammering wildly in his chest as he tried to move her slow enough not to startle her. Calanthe complied and her head found its resting place against the crook of his neck.

The spell was broken with a start and Calanthe nuzzled deeper into Eist. Arms coming up to wrap around each other as he rested his cheek against her hairline.

They stayed like this for a long while. Completely unmoving and fully immersed in one another.

Eist was the one who moved first. Slowly detangling himself from the queen, but not daring to shift her head from his chest just yet. He pressed a faint kiss to her hairline and ran a light hand down her back. A signal for her to loosen her grip as well. She did so reluctantly and stayed close, not bringing any real distance between them for now.

“Please, I can’t do this anymore. You have to understand that I’m just as helpless as you are. I can’t… I couldn’t possibly force you to…” Calanthe’s voice broke and she turned her back to Eist with a start. He would never be able to understand this woman.

He knew how much she despised pity but she had her back turned to him so he allowed himself a small moment of compassion. Eyes fixed on the back of her head, where the majority of her long hair was braided into a tight knot.

He took a step back and felt blindly for the door handle. He grabbed it tightly once he had found it but did not press it down just yet. Contemplating if he should leave. It would be so easy to bridge the gap between them and pull her into his arms again. To turn her around and kiss her properly this time. To drown in the moment and in the woman he loved. But that was nothing but wishful thinking. It was better for them to keep at least some distance. Eist knew for sure that once he fully had her he would never let her go.

The creaking of the door handle drew her attention back to him. She turned around and their eyes locked yet again.

Eist made sure to look as deeply into her eyes as he could while continuing to slowly back out of the room. He did not break the contact until he crossed the threshold.

“I don’t care what other people may think. You are my destiny.”

And just like that he had closed the door between them and was hurrying back to his own chambers. Head spinning and eyes burning with unshed tears. He initially wanted to say something else. They had made their true feelings clear multiple times but none of them had actually said the words yet. _I love you_.

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone interested, the song is Rewrite the Stars from the movie The Greatest Showman 😊


End file.
